Electric Car Maintenance: Keeping Your EV in Top Condition

If you own a car, truck, or SUV, you need to have routine maintenance performed at regular intervals as prescribed by your vehicle’s manufacturer and published in their owners’ manuals. This is crucial to keeping your vehicle operating at it’s best for as long as possible.

If you’re considering the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV), or if you already have an electric vehicle, you may be wondering about vehicle maintenance. While electric vehicles require less maintenance that traditional internal combustion powered vehicles (ICEVs), they’re far from maintenance free. To help you understand what needs to be done, here’s a guide to what’s required to keep that EV in top shape.

Brake Fluids

Your electric vehicle uses brake fluid to power its braking system, just like a traditional ICEV. Over time, the brake fluid will absorb water. This can cause rusting in the system or boiling due to the high temperatures. Your brake fluid should be changed when the fluid reaches 3% water. While there’s no set interval for replacing your brake fluid, a general rule of thumb would be to change it every 3 to 5 years.

Brake Pads and Rotors

Electric vehicles use the same type of brake pads as any other vehicle, so plan on replacing them from time to time. All other things being equal, an EV is heavier than a similar sized ICEV. This puts additional strain on the braking system, and you’ll likely have to replace pads and/or rotors more frequently.

Tire Rotation

The tires on an electric vehicle are different from those on an ICEV, but they still need to be replaced at regular intervals. EV’s use special tires designed for low rolling resistance and low noise.  It’s important to have your EV’s tires rotated at least twice a year, and more often if you drive a lot. Failure to rotate your tires will cause them to wear unevenly and they’ll wear out sooner.

Tire Pressure

While we’re discussing tires, let’s talk about tire pressure. Your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends specific pressures for each model. Many times, the recommended pressures for the front and rear tires will be different. It’s important to check your air pressure regularly, as too little or too much air will make your tires wear unevenly, and they’ll need to be replaced sooner. In addition, having the wrong air pressure in your tires can cut down on your fuel economy.

Wheel Alignments

The steering and suspensions systems in your EV are very similar to that in an ICEV. These parts can move around a bit and need to be checked for proper alignment to ensure true steering, even tire wear, and a comfortable ride.

12 Volt Battery

While EVs have large battery packs to power the engines, they still use the standard 12 volt car batteries used in ICEVs to power the accessories in your EV, like headlights, sound systems, or power windows. These batteries can last a long time, but will wear out like any other battery, and will need to be replaced.

Windshield Wipers

As with any vehicle, your windshield wiper blades will need to be replaced on a regular basis. This is especially true in areas of severe hot or cold weather. The rubber in these wipers degrades which causes them to leave streaks behind. Using an improper fluid in the windshield washer reservoir can also create undue stress on the wipers, so make sure you’re using one suitable for the weather.

Cabin Air Filter

Your EV has no engine air filter, but it does have a cabin air filter, designed to keep dust, smoke, allergens, and pollutants from entering the passenger compartment. Like any other filter, these become clogged and less effective over time, and will need to be replaced.

EV Battery Pack

Over time, the battery packs in your EV will degrade and will lose capacity and driving range. Because of the high cost of these battery packs, you’ll likely find it less costly to merely trade in your EV when the battery pack has lost it’s ability to receive or keep a strong charge.

Final Words

Whereas your EV doesn’t require oil changes, oil filters, fuel pumps, or many other parts required in ICEVs, the maintenance items listed here are crucial if you want your EV to provide top performance for many years to come.

For over 50 Years V&H Automotive has been serving Marshfield and Central Wisconsin with New Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and RAM Trucks. From Wausau to Wisconsin Rapids, or Stevens Point to Medford – we’re a short drive from anywhere for friendly service and very competitive pricing. If you have any automotive needs, check out our website or contact us at 715-387-2545. Better yet, stop in for a visit!

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